Homage to My Heroes: VJ Dylan

VJ Dylan. Image from Solar Entertainment Corporation

Not a single day passes that I do not see in my mind’s eye the faces that have influenced my youth, that have shaped my understanding of music, and the personalities that have made such a strong impression on me to this day. That is why I have decided to create a new subsection to my 13-year-long-running MusicMatters entertainment column simply entitled “Homage To My Heroes,” because they deserve to be acknowledged for everything they meant to us during those important years in our lives and still do to this day.

In life, I have learned so far that it is beyond important that you show them respect, but more importantly, let them know that everything they did during those years mattered and was not forgotten. Even as we grow old, have white hair, and feel like an “old man” physically with some health issues, we must still keep fighting on, remain motivated, and live for a purpose beyond ourselves. The joy they gave us during our formative teen years and young adult life is something that is priceless in my eyes and should not be taken for granted when you have the chance yourself much later in life, in many cases, decades later, to show that appreciation to them.

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The first legendary figure I will acknowledge, highlight and pay my respect to is Dylan of “The Peep Show” on JACK TV. Wow, what an awesome host she was! She was lively, she had charisma, and she had a genuine passion for anything to do with music, especially our bands in the then local scene, which was thriving, booming, and kicking *** in terms of the quality! Dylan got to interview most of them, as was shown in each new episode of her very own pop-culture-oriented television program on local cable on JACK TV.

Frankly, for many others of my generation and older, “The Peep Show” was that popular, influential, and fondly remembered because it served as your guide to the local scene. However, it needed to have a dynamic host, someone who understood what was going on, perhaps because she was very much part of it and was no stranger to the inner workings of the local scene. Certainly, Dylan was all of that and more. She had that elusive “It Factor” about her.

Dylan was that “insider,” so to speak, because by all accounts she was one, and we viewers at home were taken into the experience vicariously through Dylan each time she would be on the road, attending a gig, hosting an event, interacting with random people, getting behind-the-scenes all access, watching a concert, interviewing a band, and so on. She took us with her in all her adventures via “The Peep Show” on JACK TV.

VJ Dylan. Image from Solar Entertainment Corporation

For me, to this day, the early to late 2000s was still the best time for the local scene, for OPM, and for music in general. But it was not only them that made it so special; it was the people, the key individuals and personalities who helped bring attention to all of these things. Why so? Because if you don’t have a host or VJ who understands what’s going on, then it would have been a case of the blind leading the blind, because for many of us, we were either a bit too young or not quite mature enough yet to go to these famous venues where you had a lot of these great local bands, indie acts, and legendary artists performing.

I credit the exceptional hosting skills, knowledge, and charisma of Dylan of “The Peep Show” for further introducing me and my generation into that world because without the likes of Dylan explaining things, informing us, and giving her insights, then a lot of us would have ended up going to the wrong venues, purchasing bad CDs, and watching awful bands, so “The Peep Show” was that credible, dependable, reliable, trustworthy, and not only consistently entertaining.

To this day, I consider “The Peep Show” as one of the all-time best local programs I have ever seen.

I have fond memories of regularly watching “The Peep Show” with my then-girlfriend, as this was also her favorite local television program on JACK TV, so it became another way for us to bond and to discover the new and upcoming local bands to watch out for. It was really the kind of show directed to the youth in mind, and there was a lot of detail put into how the episodes were made, as with each new season of “The Peep Show.” In fact, with each succeeding season everything from top to bottom either got improved or adjustments were made wherein it became the most important locally produced show on that local cable channel, because the production value was superior, and when you combine that with the caliber of Dylan as its VJ, you were always in for a treat because of her being the best part of it.

In many ways, “The Peep Show” has become iconic for everything it achieved during its multi-year run with Dylan as its host.

Do you know how rare it is even nowadays to have a VJ or a television host that awesome? It has become increasingly rare, and that is one of the main reasons why many of us still fondly remember those exciting years because you had someone you could depend on to give you an inside look at what was happening, what was going on, and what was worth checking out. Indeed, I believe the now defunct local cable channel JACK TV struck gold with hiring Dylan, as it was lightning in a bottle to have a VJ that was a total package and could communicate with the viewers as she did!

Thank you, Dylan, wherever you are now, whatever you are doing, because you gave me and my age group some of the best entertainment bar none courtesy of you being the VJ of your own very local television program called “The Peep Show” that influenced, shaped, and inspired the minds of many of my generation.

Rock on, Dylan!